ANTENNA AND VEHICLE HAVING THE SAME

• US 20200136265A1
• Filed: 04/08/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: KIM, Dongjin
• Granted Patent: US 11,018,435 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/32 Adaptation for use in or on road or rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3233 particular used as part of a sensor or in a security system, e.g. for automotive radar, navigation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/30 the primary active element being centre-fed and substantially straight, e.g. Yagi antenna
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0006 Particular feeding systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/061 Two dimensional planar arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/20 the units being spaced along or adjacent to a curvilinear path slotted waveguide arrays H01Q21/005; circularly or helically slotted waveguides H01Q21/0062
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/205 providing an omnidirectional coverage turnstile aerials H01Q21/26
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/242 Circumferential scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

A directional antenna apparatus capable of radiating radio signals in various directions may include first, second, third and fourth main director elements forming a square; first, second, third and fourth sub-director elements extending from the center portion of the square to the first, second, third and fourth main director elements, respectively, inside the square; first, second, third and fourth radiators disposed in parallel with the first, second, third and fourth main director elements, respectively, outside the square; and a selection switch configured to selectively connect any one of the first, second, third and fourth radiators to an external device.

Claims

1. An antenna apparatus including:

first, second, third and fourth main director elements forming a shape of a square and aligned in first, second, third and fourth directions, respectively;

first, second, third and fourth sub-director elements extending from a center portion of the square toward the first, second, third and fourth main director elements, respectively, inside the square;

first, second, third and fourth radiators mounted in parallel with the first, second, third and fourth main director elements, respectively, outside the square; and

a selection switch configured to selectively connect one of the first, second, third and fourth radiators to an external device.

2. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth main director elements has a length of a half wavelength of a radio signal transmitted and received by the antenna apparatus, and

wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth sub-director elements has a length of a quarter wavelength of the radio signal.

3. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first, second, third and fourth radiators include a pair of bars mounted in parallel to each other, and

wherein the antenna apparatus further includes first, second, third and fourth power feeders, each of the first, second, third and fourth power feeders formed between the pair of bars of the first, second, third and fourth radiators, respectively.

4. The antenna apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth power feeders is configured to be selectively connectable to the selection switch.

5. The antenna apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the selection switch is configured to selectively connect one of the first, second, third and fourth power feeders to the external device.

6. The antenna apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein each of the pair of bars of the first, second, third and fourth radiators has a length of a half wavelength of the radio signal transmitted and received by the antenna, and

wherein each of the pair of bars is configured to be folded 180°

at a center thereof.

7. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, further including:

first, second, third and fourth main switches mounted at vertices of the square, configured to allow or block connection between adjacent main director elements among the first, second, third and fourth main director elements; and

first and second sub switches mounted at the center portion of the square, configured to allow or block connection between sub-director elements mounted in series with each other among the first, second, third and fourth sub-director elements.

8. The antenna apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the first main switch is mounted at a first vertex formed by the first main director element and the second main director element among the vertices and configured to allow or block connection between the first main director element and the second main director element;

wherein the second main switch is mounted at a second vertex formed by the second main director element and the third main director element among the vertices and configured to allow or block connection between the second main director element and the third main director element;

wherein the third main switch is mounted at a third vertex formed by the third main director element and the fourth main director element among the vertices and configured to allow or block connection between the third main director element and the fourth main director element; and

wherein the fourth main switch is mounted at a fourth vertex formed by the fourth main director element and the first main director element among the vertices and configured to allow or block connection between the fourth main director element and the first main director element, and

wherein the first sub switch is configured to allow or block connection between the first sub-director element and the third sub-director element mounted in series with the first sub-director element; and

wherein the second sub switch is configured to allow or block connection between the second sub-director element and the fourth sub-director element mounted in series with the second sub-director element.

9. The antenna apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, when the first radiator is connected to the external device by the selection switch, the first and fourth main switches are configured to turn on and the second and third main switches are configured to turn off, and the first sub switch is configured to turn off by the selection switch and the second sub switch is configured to turn on.

10. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the first radiator is connected to the external device, the first main director element is configured to selectively connect to the second and fourth main director elements, and the second sub-director element is configured to selectively connect to the fourth sub-director element.

11. A vehicle including:

an antenna apparatus; and

a communication device connected to the antenna apparatus and configured to control the antenna apparatus and transmit/receive a communication signal through the antenna apparatus,

wherein the antenna apparatus includes;

first, second, third and fourth main director elements forming a shape of a square and aligned in first, second, third and fourth directions, respectively;

first, second, third and fourth sub-director elements extending from a center portion of the square toward the first, second, third and fourth main director elements, respectively, inside the square;

first, second, third and fourth radiators mounted in parallel with the first, second, third and fourth main director elements, respectively, outside the square; and

a selection switch configured to selectively connect one of the first, second, third and fourth radiators with the communication device according to a control of the communication device.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11,

wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth main director elements has a length of a half wavelength of a radio signal transmitted and received by the antenna apparatus, and

wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth sub-director elements has a length of a quarter wavelength of the radio signal.

13. The vehicle according to claim 11,

wherein the first, second, third and fourth radiators include a pair of bars mounted in parallel to each other, and

wherein the antenna apparatus further includes:

first, second, third and fourth power feeders, each of the first, second, third and fourth power feeders formed between the pair of bars of the first, second, third and fourth radiators, respectively.

14. The vehicle according to claim 13, wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth power feeders is configured to be selectively connectable to the selection switch.

15. The vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the selection switch is configured to selectively connect one of the first, second, third and fourth power feeders with the communication device according to the control of the communication device.

16. The vehicle according to claim 13,

wherein each of the pair of bars of the first, second, third and fourth radiators has a length of a half wavelength of a radio signal transmitted and received by the antenna apparatus, and

wherein each of the pair of bars is configured to be folded 180°

at a center thereof.

17. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the antenna apparatus further includes:

first, second, third and fourth main switches mounted at vertices of the square and configured to allow or block connection between adjacent main director elements among the first, second, third and fourth main switches according to the control of the communication device; and

first and second sub switches mounted at the center portion of the square and configured to allow or block connection between sub-director elements mounted in series with each other among the first, second, third and fourth sub-director elements, according to the control of the communication device.

18. The vehicle according to claim 17,

wherein the first main switch is mounted at a first vertex formed by the first main director element and the second main director element among the vertices and configured to allow or block connection between the first main director element and the second main director element according to the control of the communication device;

wherein the second main switch is mounted at a second vertex formed by the second main director element and the third main director element among the vertices and configured to allow or block connection between the second main director element and the third main director element according to the control of the communication device;

wherein the third main switch is mounted at a third vertex formed by the third main director element and the fourth main director element among the vertices and configured to allow or block connection between the third main director element and the fourth main director element according to the control of the communication device; and

wherein the fourth main switch is mounted at a fourth vertex formed by the fourth main director element and the first main director element among the vertices and configured to allow or block connection between the fourth main director element and the first main director element according to the control of the communication device, and wherein the first sub switch is configured to allow or block connection between the first sub-director element and the third sub-director element mounted in series with the first sub-director element according to the control of the communication device; and

wherein the second sub switch is configured to allow or block connection between the second sub-director element and the fourth sub-director element mounted in series with the second sub-director element according to the control of the communication device.

19. The vehicle according to claim 18, wherein the communication device is configured to selectively connect the first radiator to the communication device through the selection switch, to turn on the first and fourth main switches and turn off the second and third main switches, and to turn off the first sub switch and turn on the second sub switch.

20. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the communication device is configured to selectively connect the first radiator to an external device, to connect the first main director element to the second and fourth main director elements, and to connect the second sub-director element to the fourth sub-director element.